


December 14

by LadySeishou



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Drabble Sequence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-14
Updated: 2007-12-14
Packaged: 2017-11-14 14:45:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/516324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySeishou/pseuds/LadySeishou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of snapshot drabbles all taking place on December 14</p>
            </blockquote>





	December 14

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the Hikagoyaoi forum

1986

Ogata waited in the lobby nursing the last of an expensive cigarette. It was a long ride from Tokyo to Nara. Longer still as Touya-sensei insisted that he observe the law regarding underage smoking.

“Kid.”

Surprised, Ogata dropped the cigarette. “Kuwabara-Ouza!”

“Give me one.”

Ogata frowned as the man took a cigarette and put the rest of the pack into his coat pocket.

“I don’t have many young fans so you must be a player.”

“I am Touya-Jyudan’s student.”

Kuwabara nodded. “Your master’s doing well. Surprising as I hear that he’s going to be a father.”

Ogata nodded. “Any day.”

====

1988

After the departure of his students, Kouyo smiled fondly as Akiko encouraged Akira to come into the room. But instead of climbing into his lap, the boy sat at the board across from his father, swaying on small knees.

“Oh..nee... gi… shee…masu.”

“Please,” Kouyo answered, amused as the boy removed a stone from the bowl that Akiko held open.

pa-chi

Kouyo stared down at the stone carefully placed on the upper-right star.

At his wife’s encouraging nod, he played in the lower-left corner.

pa-chi

It was a direct attack, Black attaching from above.

Akiko smiled. “He’s been watching Ogata-kun play.”

====

1998

“Happy birthday.”

Ogata pulled out the chair across from where the boy studied a pattern of stones.

“How was school today?”

“Fine,” Akira answered, playing another stone.

So it wasn’t school, Ogata thought. And Akira was too young for girls. Wasn’t he? Reflexively, he felt for his cigarettes, sorry again that the Meijin didn’t allow smoking in the salon.

“Ashiwara-kun mentioned you played some kid…”

The boy looked up then, fiercely ablaze. “He said his name was Shindou Hikaru.”

Ichikawa called him and Ogata stood, taking his leave. 

Shindou Hikaru. It was a name that he would remember as well…

====

1999

“It was easy enough to do, Akira-kun. And now he’ll be able to take the exam.”

Akira stared back at Ogata with a kind of quiet outrage, scary in its subdued intensity. He offered his own calculated smile in return.

“There’s no way that Shindou Hikaru can become an Insei, Ogata-sensei. I’m afraid that you have wasted your time.” Touya stood then to welcome his student, a regular customer of the salon.

Ogata decided he had time before his own appointment for a cigarette and wandered outside, ignoring the raw December weather.

“Happy Birthday, Akira-kun,” he said, watching the gray smoke rise.

====

2000

Touya-san greeted him warmly at the door and he allowed her to steer him toward the Meijin’s study.

Touya-sensei seemed lost in thought, studying the empty goban.

“You’ve heard that Shindou passed the pro exam then,” Ogata said, taking the seat across from his teacher. He lifted the top from the go-ke and played the upper-left star. “Amano-san tells me that they haven’t scheduled his Beginner Dan game yet.”

The Meijin took the lower-right corner.

Ogata considered the board and clacked his stone down, attacking the white stone. “What better way to find out than to play him yourself Sensei?”

====

2001

“He hasn’t come today, Akira-kun.”

Ichikawa watched as the smile faded in the young man’s eyes.

“I wasn’t really expecting him, Ichikawa-san. He said he wouldn’t. I just came to see if I left one of my textbooks here.” Akira rested a heavy-looking bag on the counter.

“You’re keeping very busy these days,” Ichikawa said, looking behind the counter. “And I hear that you’re doing well with your games.”

“I guess so.” 

Ichikawa came up empty-handed. Akira turned to leave but paused a moment longer. 

“You’ll let me know?”

Ichikawa nodded, wondering if Akira-kun was asking just about the book.

====

2002

Touya found Shindou leaning on the front counter, flirting shamelessly with Ichikawa. He let his overnight bag drop noisily.

“You’re late!” Shindou’s smile belied his aggrieved tone. “We won’t have time to look at your game now. Your mom’s expecting us…” 

He grabbed up Touya’s bag with one hand and Touya’s arm with the other, dragging him back out through the salon’s doors.

“Did you…?” he tried to ask just before Shindou pushed him into the elevator, kissing him soundly as the doors closed.

“Yeah, I missed you,” Shindou answered breathlessly. “And your mom’s not expecting us either. Happy birthday.” 

====

2004

Touya thinks with wonder that no matter how tired either of them feel after a long day, they always manage to come together like this. He presses a kiss to sticky soft curls.

Shindou grunts with satisfied appreciation and reaches for the box of tissues.

Touya turns onto his hip to watch the steam rise over the crystal waters of the hotel’s hot spring peaking through the white snow. He imagines a different kind of heat soon soaking into his bones.

Shindou stands in front of the window, stretches, and Akira admires the long line of his back and legs, his feet wearing slippers of white light.

====

2005

Akiko accepted the cup of tea from her son, tasting it with surprise. “It’s delicious!”

Akira nodded, pleased and sets aside a collection of Shindou’s kifu so that he can sit on the sofa next to his mother. “Father’s game should be over soon.”

“Yes. But I’m happy to share this time with you.”

“Hikaru will be back tomorrow.”

Akiko understood. “Did you know that your father was away playing in a tournament on the day you were born?”

Akira looked thoughtful. “That must have been lonely for you.”

Akiko shook her head, smiling. “Not at all. You were there.”

 

===  
owari  
===


End file.
